SVP - Business Assurance

ABOUT US

At OakNorth, we're on a mission to empower ambitious businesses and the communities they serve. Since 2015, we've lent over $21 billion across the UK and US, helped create more than 58,000 new homes and 36,000 new jobs, and supported hundreds of thousands of personal savers — all while driving economic growth in the markets we serve.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Assurance Centre of Excellence (CoE) delivers high-quality assurance across OakNorth’s key risk domains, including Financial Crime, Finance, Credit, Operations, Technology and Regulatory Reporting. The CoE is a lean, technically rigorous team that partners closely with Risk, Compliance and business functions to provide risk-based assurance and actionable insights.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The SVP, Business Assurance is a critical role: you will both lead the delivery of the assurance plan across Financial Crime, Operations, Conduct & Compliance and personally execute assurance engagements. Reporting to the Assurance COE Lead, you will define the scope and direction of assurance coverage, manage a team, and hold the bar for quality and timeliness across all engagements.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own and shape the assurance strategy and annual plan across Financial Crime, Conduct, Compliance and Operations , ensuring coverage remains aligned to OakNorth’s key risks, regulatory priorities and growth plans across the UK and US.
• Personally lead and execute complex and high-risk reviews end-to-end , from scoping and fieldwork through to senior stakeholder challenge, reporting and remediation, while ensuring consistently high standards across the wider portfolio.
• Stay ahead of emerging regulatory and business risks , particularly across financial crime, conduct and compliance, and translate changes in the UK and US regulatory landscape into appropriate assurance coverage.
• Build and embed continuous monitoring across key controls and risk indicators , using data and analytics to identify emerging issues, control deterioration and areas requiring deeper assurance attention.
• Act as a senior assurance partner and constructive challenger to Risk, Compliance and Operations leadership , bringing together themes from individual reviews to provide insight on broader control weaknesses, root causes and areas requiring management attention.
• Lead and develop the team , providing technical direction, reviewing critical judgements and work products, and building capability across Financial Crime, Compliance and Operations assurance.
• Drive innovation in assurance delivery , using AI, automation and data analytics to increase coverage, improve risk identification and make assurance more efficient and forward-looking.

YOU'LL BE A GREAT FIT IF YOU HAVE…

• 15+ years of relevant experience in Internal Audit, Risk or Compliance within regulated financial services, with significant experience across Financial Crime, Operations, Conduct and Compliance.
• Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification , together with a relevant Financial Crime / Compliance qualification such as ACAMS or ICA (International Compliance Association, UK) — both are essential for this role.
• Strong technical knowledge across multiple risk and regulatory domains , with the breadth and judgement to assess complex issues, identify emerging risks and independently determine appropriate assurance coverage.
• A strong track record of personally leading and delivering complex, multi-domain reviews end-to-end , while exercising judgement over significant findings, root causes, ratings and remediation.
• Good understanding of the UK regulatory environment , with experience interpreting regulatory requirements and translating them into practical risk and control assessments. Exposure to US regulatory requirements, particularly BSA/AML, sanctions and financial crime , would be advantageous.
• Experience using data and continuous monitoring to provide insight into control effectiveness, emerging risks and areas requiring deeper assurance attention.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing assurance professionals , providing technical direction while maintaining high standards of quality and independent judgement.
• The credibility and communication skills to engage and constructively challenge senior stakeholders , including Risk, Compliance and Operations leadership, and communicate complex issues clearly and proportionately.
• Experinced in AI, automation and data analytics , with an understanding of how these can be used to improve assurance coverage, risk identification and efficiency.

Nice to Have

· Experience building control monitoring frameworks or dashboards

· Exposure to cross-jurisdictional regulatory requirements (UK or US)

· Additional qualification (e.g. CIA or equivalent)

WHAT WE OFFER

• Health & Protection: Medical cover for you, your family & parents; life and accidental cover at a multiple of your salary
• Wellbeing: Annual health check-ups, online doctor consultations, pharmacy discounts, nutritionist support, and an Employee Assistance Programme — all sponsored
• Time Off: Earned, casual/sick leave, public holidays, maternity & paternity leave
• Life Milestones: A financial gesture of support at marriage, childbirth, and bereavement
• Flexible Benefits: Tax-efficient allowances for internet, fuel, meals, leave & travel, and NPS
• Growth: Professional certification support, learning & development opportunities, childcare benefits, and paid volunteering days
• Our Workplace: Modern central offices, weekly business updates, team events, and great coffee — we work hard to build a culture worth showing up for